Bill Siemantel fishing an Alabama Rig (California 2fer Rig) on top at Diamond Valley Lake.

Bass jumps 4' out of the water for a small swimbait at Diamond Valley Lake.

Massive school of bass boiling at Diamond Valley Lake.

Bill Siemantel at Diamond Valley Lake slow rolling an 8" BBZ-1 swimbait on top.

Bill Siemantel at Diamond Valley Lake (Hemet California) using big swimbaits on topwater for stripers and bass.

Improving hookup percentages under any circumstances is crucial, but nowhere is it more pronounced than in open water. This is especially true with swimbaits - highly effective lures with notoriously low strike-to-hookup ratios.

You can lead fishermen to big-bass water, but you can't make them think. Everyone wants the tip, the tactic, the inside deal to angling success - but it isn't that easy. Big bass or otherwise, your success hinges on acquiring - and understanding - a compendium of knowledge. Whether these are tidbits or big-picture strategies, they're all pieces of a much larger and more intricate puzzle.

No big-bass system – no new program for consistently catching big fish – can rest itself on false assumptions. Therefore, we continue our effort to convince readers they need to rethink their entire approach to catching big fish. Here are some common beliefs in the current fishing pantheon, followed by our opinions of them.

Mike Lucchesi of Elk Grove, CA wrote: Interesting reading and cleverly written, but completely lacking substance. Tips? Tactics? How big bass relate and react to seasonal changes vs. school fish? Couldn't find any of that, which was disappointing. Would have loved to have seen Mr. Siemantel's brain picked more for that type of information.